Shan's Reviews > The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines & the Secret Mission of 1805

Well, it took over a year to read this book. It started very slowly, but about half way the pace picked up and I found it to be a satisfying read. Be warned, you need to be a history lover to really enjoy the detail and nuance of this book.

The book centers on William Eaton, a former Army Captain that leads a covert operation to topple the government of the Barbary Pirates. Along the way you get a good glance at how the government of the day, headed by President Jefferson, operated in both the domestic and international arena. At times the book is dry and the pacing is slow- but that is probably due in part to my Generation X upbringing and expectation of constant action (too many Pirate movies out there). Of course, real life hardly resembles a movie unless you take out 90% of the actual living.

Overall a good book if you like history, pirates, and autobiographies of brave and tragic men.